ITC Rules Unanimously: No Injury from Chinese Hardwood Plywood

WASHINGTON - The American Alliance for Hardwood Plywood (AAHP) applauded today's unanimous U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) final negative injury determination in its investigations of Chinese hardwood and decorative plywood. The ITC ruling brings an end to a year-long campaign to impose severe and unprecedented antidumping and countervailing duty rates on imported Chinese hardwood plywood that would have resulted in severe disruptions to the kitchen and bath cabinet industry, eliminated thousands of jobs and shifted labor to overseas competitors.

"The ITC ruling proves that due process does exist in the federal government and that sound market evidence will overrule misguided allegations," said AAHP Co-Chairman Greg Simon. "Domestic and imported plywood both play a vital complementary role for American cabinet manufacturers and other end users of this important raw material. The ITC's ruling confirms that plywood from the United States, China and other countries can continue trade in a fair manner as they always have."

AAHP Co-Chairman Gregg Wilkinson added, "While we disagree with the petitioners' decision to bring this case, now that the ITC has fully investigated the allegations and rejected them unanimously, it is time for the plywood industry to move on."

"On behalf of the AAHP, thousands of small business manufacturers and American consumers we thank the ITC for its thorough, comprehensive investigation and for demonstrating its independence in this case," Simon concluded.

The American Alliance for Hardwood Plywood (http://www.aa-hp.org) is an organization of American importers, distributors and manufacturers of hardwood plywood, along with other U.S. companies that depend on the availability of global resources.